Why Sterling K. Brown Turned Down A Role On The Boys

"The Boys" is a star-studded show; not only is it replete with surprise celebrity appearances from the likes of Tilda Swinton and Charlize Theron, but even stars like Jensen Ackles and Jeffrey Dean Morgan will stick around for major roles that span an entire season, sometimes more. As it turns out, though, there was another major, respected actor that could have followed in those celebrities' footsteps: Sterling K. Brown. 

Brown, who's most famous for his role in the hit show "This is Us" as well as the Oscar-nominated film "American Fiction," revealed in a recent Variety interview that he could've been part of a crucial season-long arc on "The Boys," but he turned the opportunity down. "It think it was a bad guy [role], because it was very tempting," Brown explained. "But a full-season arc, they are in Toronto — it's tough. Listen, these are champagne problems I'm talking about here! But because I'm blessed enough to already have certain things in place, I get a chance to be a bit more choosy."

He doesn't elaborate much on Toronto, but it feels safe to assume he's talking about the weather. Toronto is a lovely city, especially from May to October, but from November to March it's notoriously cold, dark, and wet, as Toronto natives themselves would be happy to tell you. And although showrunner Eric Kripke has been very appreciative towards the city in his many interviews, he's also talked about the downsides of having to film in a city that's a far cry from Hollywood's bright and sunny climate.

"There were horrible shooting conditions that day, just freezing sideways rain," he once told The Hollywood Reporter regarding what it was like in the city when Will Ferrell filmed his cameo for season 4. "I felt so bad, because [Ferrell] was outside all day and he just could not have been kinder or more gracious."

Still, it's a shame that Brown turned down "The Boys" because I think he could've shined there. Not only does the actor have experience working with Kripke (he starred in a handful of episodes throughout seasons 2 and 3 of Kripke's previous show, "Supernatural"), but we also know from Brown's filmography that he's good at handling funny material despite his reputation for specializing in serious roles. Perhaps Brown's most underrated performance was his 2018 hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live," where he made everything funnier simply by bringing his hardcore dramatic acting chops to some of the silliest of sketches. Take, for instance, this "Shrek" sketch:

Brown is no stranger to getting real weird with it either, which makes him a good match for a show like "The Boys" (itself both a high-stakes action thriller and a deeply silly series with scenes where Ant-Man-like superheroes crawl up guys' urethras). The show's ability to juggle its disparate tones is admirable, and Brown (with his dramedy bona fides) would've been a perfect fit. We're not sure what sort of bad guy he'd have ended up playing if he signed on for the role, but it sure would've been interesting to see him handle whatever NSFW absurdity the "Boys" writing staff had in store.